Headache Triggers

Your brain has a control center that reacts to certain triggers. When a trigger sets it off, it makes blood vessels in your head and neck swell up, causing pain. There are lots of triggers, for example: stress, hormones, weather, too little sleep, medicines, and common foods.

When a trigger sets off a severe reaction, it can cause a traditional migraine. Sometimes the reaction causes milder swelling and pain, such as with a tension-type headache. It's not unusual to have different headaches at different times.

Everyone has headache triggers. Your triggers are related to many things, including what you eat, how much sleep you get, and your stress level. When you get a headache, and how severe it is, can depend on how your triggers stack up. People who get problem headaches are usually more sensitive to triggers than other people. This means it takes a smaller stack of triggers to "flip your switch" and cause a headache.

Once the headache starts, a complex series of events begins in the brain and body. This leads to all the symptoms of a headache, such as:

• Throbbing head pain.
• Eye pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Sensitivity to light, smell, and sound.

These changes in the brain and body can cause a wide range of headaches. For instance:

• The hangover people get after drinking.
• Headaches that happen during a menstrual period.
• Caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Headaches can lead to more headaches through chemical changes and even from the effects of medications used to treat them.

To see some of the most common things that start headaches and some of the simple things you can do to prevent headaches caused by these triggers, download and print Triggers: What You Can Do.